Flesh & Bone

Jonathan Maberry makes it all look so easy, doesn't he? Book after book is released with his name gracing the cover, and we all snatch them up greedily. Why? Because a Jonathan Maberry novel never disappoints.

FLESH & BONE is no different.

The third novel in the Benny Imura series continues a short time after the events of the second novel, DUST & DECAY. Before I go on, I should mention (in case you have yet to begin this fantastic series) that the Benny Imura series is YA following a small group of teenagers living in a world after the zombie apocalypse has happened. As the first novel, ROT & RUIN, closes, the group of teens sees a jumbo jet flying in the sky. This incident pushes them to go out into the wild to find it.

Like the previous novels, FLESH & BONE follows Benny Imura, Nix, Lilah and Chong. In my review of DUST & DECAY, I said that it felt like that novel was more like an alternate ending to the first book more than a true sequel. I enjoyed the novel, but I still wanted more. I wanted more details. I wanted to see more of the world. I wanted new and different dangers. FLESH & BONE does all of these things, and Maberry literally starts throwing them at you from the first page.

It turns out that in the Rot & Ruin (the name for the wilderness in this series), there is a strange death cult growing in numbers. They go from place to place, settlement to settlement, and...free...people from their existences.

Oh, and there are zombies out there. Lots and lots of zombies. And they are acting far different than usual.

The great thing about this novel, apart from the refreshing plot, is the emphasis on character growth and relationships. Each of these characters have been through a lot, and it isn't until this novel that they really begin to deal with the emotional fallout of the terrible experiences they've participated in. It really becomes a question of loss, and how these characters deal with it.

The villains of FLESH & BONE are very entertaining. To me, Maberry is fantastic at portraying each villain as a unique character with unique motivations. It would be easy, especially in a YA novel (as we've all seen so many times), to make the villains flat and boring. Many authors seem to think that villains in YA novels don't need to be fully developed, and don't develop them. Maberry's villains come to life on the page. Sure, sometimes they are a bit over-the-top, but they are always developed.

As for new characters...well, I can't say much without ruining the surprise. Let's just say one of the new characters introduced brings a whole different light to the series.

FLESH & BONE may actually be the darkest of the Benny Imura series. The toil on the characters is high, and Maberry doesn't pull punches when putting his characters in danger.

I've read a lot of YA lately, and still I find Jonathan Maberry's Benny Imura series sits towards the top of it all. His knack for writing action and character drama makes all his works highly entertaining.

Recommended Age: 13+.
Language: Hardly any.
Violence: Yup. Nothing insane, but some of the situations are pretty terrible.
Sex: Nope.


Here are your links. You should be reading this series:

ROT & RUIN
DUST & DECAY
FLESH & BONE

Elitist Classics: Swan Song

Believe it or not, a lot of thought goes into our selection of Elitist Classics.  Our selection of Classics goes beyond our personal likes and dislikes. The funny thing is how, many times, each member of the EBR crew will say, "This is totally a Classic!"...and none of the others have read it. And by others I usually mean me. Especially in the realms of Science Fiction.  The reason? Heck if I know. I think I tend to focus on new releases, and there's nothing wrong with that.

I was looking over our previous posts, and I realized how little we had in terms of Elitist Classics in the Horror genre. This was my opportunity to broaden my reading a bit, and, you know, do something useful for the site!

I'm not ashamed--not even the tiniest bit--to admit that I've been on a Robert McCammon kick lately. McCammon is an incredible writer, and an even better person. I'm sure you all had the chance to get a peek of that yourselves with his interview that I conducted here a bit ago. The man is a legend.

McCammon wrote his apocalypse story with SWAN SONG. This story is huge in size and scope, and is truly epic. It is Epic Horror. Yeah. I said it.

The story begins with the US on the brink of WWIII, and a standoff between us and Russia. The tension is palpable, and it manages to refrain from feeling dated even though this novel was originally published over 20 years ago. Nuclear war happens, and the world is left dead and ruined. We get the PoVs of Swan, Josh, Sister and Roland as they make their way across the toxic nation, pursued by a power of pure evil.

The moment I realized how much I was digging this book was when I kept thinking, "Geez, I'd love to see that scene commissioned to be painted by a pro." There is just so much beautiful and terrible imagery in SWAN SONG, that I couldn't help nod my head in appreciation. There are tear-jerking moments, and ones that make you want to cheer.

Where other large apocalyptic novels lose steam and focus, I never once felt that SWAN SONG didn't have a direction. In fact, it was the ever present feeling that everything was heading towards a massive confrontation that made this huge novel pass by like I was reading a book half it's length.

If you want good, classic horror, look no further than McCammon. Give SWAN SONG a shot. I think you'll be pleasantly pleased.

Recommended Age: 17+
Language: Tons
Violence: Holy crap. Tons. Lots of death and destruction. Its a HORROR novel
Sex: Yup

Get it here:


SWAN SONG